Method of humidifying air



R. W. HARDIE.

METHOD 0F HUMIDIFYING AIR;

APPLICATION FILED ocT. II,I9I9..

a'tente Apr. 6, 1920.

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l lll UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

l White Plains, in the county of I/Vestche'ster ROBERT W. Hennie, orWHTTE PLAINS', COMPANY, INC., A. CORP Original application led November.27, 1918,

To aZZ iii/omit mag/'concern Be it known that I, ROBERT W.

Hartman citizen of the United States,

residing and State of and suseful Humidifying Air, is a. specification.

his invention is a division of that specified in theapplication filed byme `November 27, 1918, Serial Number 264,481.'

he invention has for one of its objects to' provide a method wherebyaqueous vapor diffused into. an indoor atmosphere and wheieby thequantity New York, have invented new of which the following of vaporproduced ard diffused into the at- I to provide a method whereby theinvention.

mosphere may be regulated p The invention has for its further object thevapor produced may be diused into an indoor at# mosphere in a facile,practical and eoonomical manner.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an be used for carrying other meanshaving similar capabilities may be used, however, without departing fromIn the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical transverse' sectionv of anopentopped receptacle containing' a supply of water, and a side elevation,partly in vertical section, o'f a heater within the receptacle, and pipeand valve connections shown in side elevation'.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal `fragmentary section partly brokenaway, taken onthe line 2 2 of Fig. l.

In the drawings,` like fi ires of reference indicate like parts throngout the different views. A

In carrying-out the invention, a body of water is exposed to an indooratmosphere,

preferably within an open-topped recepta- .Heat is applied to theinterior of the cle. body of water, and the water is converted intoaqueous vapor, which arises from the surface of the water and becomesdiffused into the atmosphere, thereby increasing the relative humiditythereof.

At certain seasons of the year, or when the method is applied to specialcommercial purposes, it is desirable and often necessary to inciease ordecrease the amount of vapor addedto the atmosphere and in order toSpecification ofv Letters Patent.

body Improvements in Methods of' and controlled.

NEW YORK, AssrGNoE To n. W. HARDIE OEATION or NEW YORK.

METHOD OF HUMIDIFYING AIR.

Patented Apr. c, 1920.

provide for such conditions the supply of vapor is controlled largely byvarying the extent of area within which the directeffective heat isapplied to the interior of the of water. ",To that end, while the widthof the area within which the heat is applied to the interior ofthe bodyof water is preferably maintained constant, the height or depthof saidarea is' increased when the supply of vapor is to be increased, anddecreased when the supply is to be diminished.

plied to the, water is regulated and oontrolled independently of thepressure or temperature of the heating medium, and as a consequence, thequantityof vapor arising from the body of water is controlledandregulated and the desired relative humidity of the indoor air isestablished and maintained.

yThe area within which the direct eii'ective heat is applied, as theexpression is used herein, means the area actually occupied by theheating medium within a casing, and the area of the 'body of wateradjacent to that part of the casing directly affected -by the heatingmedium, and does not refer to any part ofthe casing not actuallycontaining any part of-the heating medium, 'although such part'of'saidcasing may indirectly receive some heat from the heating medium.

The method-may be more readily comprehended when considered inconnection with the apparatus illustrated in the accompany-- ingdrawings which is to be understood as being one of several kinds ofapparatus that` ma be used in carrying out the invention.

he apparatus illustrated, consistsof an.

, In that manner the quantity of heat sup- Y WithinV the receptaclethere is a heater comprising one or more sections each made up of twocorresponding plates .or disks 4, having interiorly threaded collars 5secured to said disks; the collars of two adjacent sections beingsecured together by means of threaded nipples G, engaging the -threadsof said collars. An inlet pipe 7 is Aconnected at its inner end with theupper end of the heater and is provided on its outer end withan'interiorly threaded head 8, that receives the exterior thread or' abushing 9. The

bushing 9 extends in part through an aper- 'ture in the wall of thereceptacle, and clamps 10 and holds a washer 10 against said wall. A

supply pipe 11-is connected with a modulat-- ing valve 1Q, having anoperating and regulatingl handle 13. A return or discharge pipe lltisconnected with the lower end of 15 the heater and may be provided with atherinOStatic trap 18,.

A baffle and heating plate 19 extendsover vthe top of the receptacle,and is so constructed that its under surface extends down- 20 ward andinward from its outer margin,'so

that any. vapor that may condense on the under side of said plate will.drip back into the f receptacle. The plate 19` is provided'with arms20, the lower ends of which are supported upon steps 21 or braclnets22,so 'asl toenable the plate 19 tobe adjusted verti-v cally relative tothe top of the receptacle and enlarge or contract the openingbetween theouter margin of said plate and the upper edge of saidreceptacle, andthereby increase or decrease. the quantity of vapor passing out from thereceptacle. y

An'air valve 23 is secured to a hub connected with, or formed oni-theinner' end of the inlet pipe 7, and is connected with a pipe 24 thatextends downward within the heater to lpermit the'escape of airtherefrom.

Y affle plates -25 having their outer edges cut away, or provided withapertures 26, may

40 be usedwithin the sections l'of the heater,

with their edges clamped by the outer margins ofi the plates 4.

The heater should beof sufficient 'height to allow a heating medium such`as steam y4.5 or vapor to fill only a part of the whole'of the interior-of the heater. In carryingl out the method of the invention, steam orvapor Ais used as a heating medium and passes into therupper 4part ofthe heater through the supply pipe 11 connecting with a source ofsupply, andl through the modulating valve 12 and inlet pipey 7. y l Themodulating valve may be opened to only one fourth of its full capacity,or to,

such an extent as to fill the top section only of the heater. Modulatingor controlling valves of ordinary l construction are provided withindicating marks or figures, and

the handle of the valve is provided with a inger'or pointer which'whenturned with the handle indicates by reference to said markings,-the extent to which the valve port is openedj-As` the steam or vapor islighter .than the ai-r, a' Win remain-'in the' A giving Leashes topsection of the heater and condense there, @A5

off its heat to the water in the receptacle, and in that vvcase theeffective direct heating area asmeant by this invention will be the arearadiating heat directly into the water from the -heating medium', whichin the instance last referred to would be the area of the top `sectionof the heater. y

The water of condensation from the steam or vapor used, will flow fromthe top section "ot" the heaterthrough the three next lower sections ofthe heating member and pass out of the said member, and through thethermostatic trap 18. produced thereby in the three next lower sections;but-not heat direct from the heating medium and not effect-ive inlimiting Some heat will be or localizing'the heating medium for the ipurpose of this invention, and therefore that heat is not considered aspart of ,thel direct and effective heating area.

'In other Words the direct and effective heating area referred toherein, is the area that has the heating medium directlylback of oradjacent to it.

Again the modulating valve may be opened to one half of its' fullcapacity or to such van extent as to fill only the upper two sections ofthe heating member, and the direct effective heating area ,in that casewill be the area of those two sections. And

similarly the valve may be opened to such an extent as'to ill the uppervthree sections, or all of the sections, with the heating medium. e

As the direct eective heating area is increased -the heat in the wateris likewise increased andthe vaporization as well, consequently therelative humidity of the'indoor' atmosphere is raised'. When -the'direct y effective heating area is decreased, the opposite effect isproduced, and by. increasing or decreasing the direct effective Vheatingarea vaporization may be established and maintained as desired.

What I claim as new and desire to secure -by Letters Patent is- 1.The'method of humidifying air, con- Vsisting in exposing a body of waterto the atmosphere, converting the water into vapor by the application ofa heating medium thereto, and in controlling the yamount of vaporarising from the water by regulating the vertical extent of area in thewater within which the heating medium is directly applied,pindependentlyofany variation in the water level.

' 2. The method of humidifying air, consisting in exposing a body ofwater to the atmosphere, converting the Water intol vapor by theapplication of a heating medium thereto, and in varyingthe amount ofvapor arising from the water by regulating the 'extent of area-withinthewater to which Y 'f5 atmosphere, converting the Water into vaporlllitnesses:

l the heating medium is applied', independ- Within the Water. to' whichthe heating meently of any Variation in the Water level. dium isapplied, independently of any vari- 3. The method of humidifying air,conaton of the water level. Y

' ROBERT lV. HARDIE.

' by the application of a heating medium D. LEWIS MTTERN, thereto, andin controlling the extent of area M. C. LYDQANE.

I vsisting in exposing a looclyl of Water to the

